Port Alberni has had a visit from FIFA Canada to evaluate the city as a training base for a World Cup team in 2026.
The executive director of stadium and venue management visited the city on July 3, 2025 for an official site visit, said Abu Jahangir, co-lead and secretary of the organizing committee.
The visit began with a formal meeting with the Port Alberni organizing committee, followed by tours of Bob Dailey Stadium, Echo Minor Fields and the Best Western Barclay Hotel, looking from a perspective of training amenities, athlete accommodations and support facilities.
The organizing committee has submitted a bid to become an official training base for a World Cup team in the weeks leading up to the 2026 World Cup soccer tournament, to be held in Vancouver. Officials with FIFA Canada provided a detailed overview of requirements and zoning considerations for pre-tournament training bases and base camp locations, Jahangir said.
"This is an important milestone toward placing Port Alberni on the global soccer stage," he noted. "The entire community – from local government to First Nations, organizations and volunteers – is working together to make this vision a reality."
The organizing committee has been busy meeting with various government officials to gain support for their bid. They met with Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns in late May, and received a letter of encouragement from former provincial tourism, arts, culture and sport minister Spencer Chandra Herbert.
